Composite picture mat



De. l0, 1935. F. D. WILLIAMS 2,024,081

COMPOSITE PICTURE MAT Original Filed Aug. 50, 1932 2 Sheets-Shes* l Cbmpan/ 0W Attorney Dec. l0, 1935. F. D. WILLIAMS 2,024,081

COMPOSITE-PICTURE MAT Original Filed Aug. 30, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenlor /v/y/ //l/////b/775 B q y Attorney m n n o E a m 5 fm n n D r r 2J Z Z Wp 2 n m n n m E@ M 4 /M E /W f M w m1 TI n D n T E n n Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE Application August 30, 1932, Serial No. 630,984

Renewed April 24, 1935 9 Claims. (Cl. 88.-16)

This invention relates to amethod ot making a mat especially useful in making plural source composite pictures. It relates to photographically making a reverse mat illm. or films to be used conjointly as a reverse mat film, having a dense masking backgroundimpression and a normal negative detail of a component image. Heretofore, it has been the practice to employ a plu, rality of printing steps to obtain such a mat 10 nlm involving reversal of images in printing, diillculty in registration of images, much labor and skill on the part oi.' the operator and necessitating use of precision equipment.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a process whereby two strata of emulsion may be light impressed with the image of an object by a single photographing step to derive therefrom a dense masking background and a normal negative detail of the object. A negative reverse mat must have a substantially opaque background and a clear detail negative image. Heretofore, the background has been made substantially opaque by intensifying, overdevelopment, or overexposure. Obviously, if the detail image also were light impressed on the illm and so treated, clear details would not result. For this reason the printing and development of the background and image are commonly separateiy performed and from plural films a mat nlm is printed from one of the illms. The present invention includes the step of lighting a background with light having chromatic characteristics to which plural strata of emulsions are photochemically responsive, all being highly sensitive to the ground light, and simultaneously light impressing an image on at least one of the emulsions from an object disposed before the b'ackground. The primary object is to photographically obtain -a dense masking background. An- 40 other object of this invention is to provide a film having a single base with'two strata of emulsions, the top stratum being orthochromatic and the bottom stratum panchromatic.

These objects are accomplished bythe process which may be carried out by the apparatus illus- In the from the method used with the apparatus shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 shows the lms of Figs. 4 and 5 superposed for masking and printing.

Referring to Fig. l, the preferred method employs preferably a blue background I0 before l5 which an object II is disposed. The object may be intended for production of one image of a plural source picture. The background is illuminated by light predominating in blue, that is, having a higher ratio of blue to red light as com- 10 pared with white light. A lamp I2 is used for this purpose and is preferably an arc light or bank'of arc lights, or other lights oi! blue ray. The object II is lighted by a lamp I3 or bank of y lamps which predominate in red or orange, that 15 is having a higher ratio of red to blue light as l compared with white light, such as incandescent lamps. The background is preferably highly illuminated. A camera for photographing is indicated by lens Il. In the camera is a single 20 illm I5. n The single film has a base which may be the usual celluloid strip I6. On one face of the strip I6 is a stratum of emulsion I1 which spreferably panchromatic. Superposed on the emulsion stratum I1 is a stratum of emulsion I8 which is preferably orthochromatic. The front orthochromatic emulsion I8 is only slightly sensitive to red or orange and very sensitive to thev blue background so that It is photocnemicauy affected 30 by-the light from the background and for practical purposes unailected by the red light from the object. II'he rear emulsion I1 is panchromatic and is sensitiveto all colors so that it will be ailected by the background andalso by the ob- 35 I ject to produce a detail image of the object thereon. The result is substantially a double exposure of the background on the combined emulsions with a substantial gain in background exposure and a normal exposure of the object. After. development, the iilm shows a negative image of the object with a substantially opaque background. With this reverse mat, the image can be printed dark enough to obtain a silhouette mat with a clear background. The use of such mats to produce a composite picture having another component is well knownin the arti,

In the method just described, the background IB may be white and lighted by blue light from I2; or even white light may be used if the background is overlighted so that the background reflects more blue than the object. The object `I I may be lighted with white light, but much better results are obtained with incandescent lamps. A straw lter may be placed over the foreground lights if advisable to obtain better demarcation.

Two films may also be used as illustrated in Fig. 3, a platinized light beam splitter I9 being used to effect matched images on the orthochromatic lm and the panchromatic lm 2|. Thel orth'ochromatic lm 20 is developed and intensified and produces a masking negative .22 shown in Fig'. 4 with an image of the object having no detail. The panchromatic film is developed and produces a negative 23 shown in Fig. 5, having a masking background and a detail negative image. It will be noted that the density of the background in Figs. 4 and 5 is not as great as when the two are superposed as shown in Fig. 6, the cross hatching indicating relative density or opacity. In printing a mat the negatives 22 and 23 are superposed obtaining thereby a dense masking background and resulting in a clear background on the mat without any gray. Also in printing in on the composite positive film the superposed lnegatives 22 and 23 produce a complete masking of the latent background component.

It will be obvious referring to Fig. 3 that instead of using an orthochromatic film 20, a panvao chromatic film may be used and a blue light iilter interposed 4between it and the lens 25.

It will be apparent that in this method, the object is to initially obtain a dense masking background for printing the mat and details. Heretofore, eiorts havebeen directed to obtaining a dense silhouette and the masking background has transmitted an appreciable amount rof light. Each strata of emulsion has a masking background impressed thereon of the density heretofore secured by other well known methods. I'n.

the present method, these masking backgrounds by superposition produce a doubly dense masking background.

Panchromatic lm emulsion has a yellow dye and if superposed in front of lorthochromatic `emulsion would act as a filter. Orthochromatic l. The method of producing la motion picture' reverse mat which comprises photographing on a film the image of an object 'reflecting light predominately red before: a background reecting predominately blue light of greater intensity than the light fromsaid object, said lm comf prising a panchomatic emulsion stratum on the front face of a single base and an orthochromatic emulsion stratum superpo'sed over said' panchromatic emulsion stratumand facing said object, and developing said lm to produce a normaldetail negative image corresponding to said object' and asubstantially non-light-transmissive background thereon.,`

2. 'I'he method pf producing a motion picture reverse mat which comprises light impressing a light sensitive illm from an object before a background, said :lm including a..V single base, an orthochromatic emulsion stratum thereon fac- -ing the object and a panchromatic emulsion stratum to the rear of said orthchromatic emulsion with 'respect to said object, the object re- 2,'oa4,os1 v p fleeting light predominately red and the background reflecting light predominately blue and of greater intensity than the light from said object whereby a latent substantially translucent area corresponding to said object and a latent substantially opaque background thereon are produced on said orthochromatic stratum, and a latent negative detail image corresponding to said object and a latent substantially .opaque background are produced on said panchromatic stratum, and developing said film.

3. The method of producing a. motion picture reverse mat which comprises disposing in superposed relation strata of two emulsions, said strata. being prepared by simultaneously light impressing a stratum of panchromatic emulsion and a stratum4 of orthochromatic emulsion with the image of an object disposed before a background,

the object reflecting light predominately red and the background reflecting light predominately 20 blue and of greater intensity than the light from said object whereby to produce on said orthochromatic emulsion a latent substantially translucent area corresponding to said object and a latent substantially opaque background thereon and to produce on said panchromatic lm a latent negative detail image4 correspond- Y ing to said object and a latent substantially opaque background thereon, and developing said emulsion strata.

` 4. The method of producing a motion picture reverse mat which comprises photographing on a iilm an object reilecting light predominately red before a background reflecting predominately blue light; said film comprising a single base with a panchromatic emulsion stratum on the front face of said base and an orthochromatic emulsion stratum superposed on said panchromatic emulsion stratum and facing said object, and developing said film to produce a detail negative image corresponding to said object and a background thereon substantially non-transmissive tolight.

5. The method of producing a motion picture reverse mat which comprises'light impressing a454 light sensitive nlm from an object before a. background reilecting light predominately blue, said ulm including a single base, an orthochromatic emulsion stratum and a panchromatic emulsion stratum said tllm being disposed with said orthochromatic emulsion optically facing said object, the object reflecting light predominately red, whereby a latent substantially translucent area corresponding to -said object and a latent substantially opaque background are produced on said orthochromatic stratum, and a latent negative detail image corresponding to said object and a' latent substantially opaque backgorund are produced on said panchromatic stratum,'and developing said film. a

'6. The method of producing a motion picture reverse mat which comprises light impressing a light sensitive lm from an object before a background, said illm including a single base bearing a panchromatic emulsion stratum and a second emulsion stratum, the object reflecting light predominately red and the backgorund reflecting light predominately blue, the second emulsion being restrained to photochemical action by light minus red and disposed to optically face said object whereby a latent substantially translucent area corresponding to said object and a latent substantially opaque background thereon are produced on said second stratum, and a latent negative detail image corresponding to said object ,oagosi 3 andalatentsubstaniiallyopaque are anlmtheimageotanobieetbeloreabaeb prodwedonsaidpanohromatiesh'atlmanddegroundsaldobieetrenectinglessbluelightthan velopingsaidnlm. saidbaekgromsddnlmeomprisingapanchro- '1. Themethodot producing a motion picture reverse mat which eqmprises disposingln superposedrelationstrataftwoemulsions,saidstrata l beingpreparedbysimultaneouslylight impressingastratinnotpanehromaticemulsionanda seeondstratumotemulsionwiththeimageot anobiectdisposedbeforeabaekgroundtheobject renecting light predominately ."ed and the background renecting lisht predominately blue ando! greater intensity thanthe light from said obiect,saidseeondenmlsionbeingrestrainedto photoehemiealactionbylight minusredwhereby toproduoeonsaidseeondemulsionalatentmb- -stantisllytransluoelatareaoorresponclingtosaid obiect and a latent substantially Oplime background thereon and to produce ousaidpanchromatienlmalateutnegative detailimageeorrespondingtossidobieotandalatentsubstantially `opaqueimckgormuithereon,smidevvelonings eici emulsionstrata.

8.'lhe methodoi'produoingamotionpicture reversematwhichoompriseaphowrlvhlnlon developing said nlm to produce a normal detail negative image corresponding to said object and a substantially non-light transmissive background 10 thereon.

9. Ihemethodofproducingamotionpieture reverse mat which light a light sensitive nlm trom-sn object before a beekgrolmd, said object renecting less blue light than 1g said background, said nlm including a. single base. sn orthnchromatie emulsion stratum and a panchromatic emulsion stratumthereon with said orthochromatio emulsion optically facingsaidobiechanddevelopingsaidnlmtom l a normal detail negative image corresponding to said object and a substantially nonlight-transmislive background thereon.

IRANKD.WIILIAIB. g5 

